The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), is cutting a lone figure in the strategy it has adopted to protest against the fee hike.

ABVP activists during their protest in front of V­C’s office at Panjab University in Chandigarh on Monday.(Anil Dayal/HT Photo)

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), is cutting a lone figure in the strategy it has adopted to protest against the fee hike.

Even as all student bodies, including Students For Society (SFS), are protesting under a common umbrella and are concentrating on sloganeering against the Union ministry of human resources development and the University Grants Commission, the ABVP has gone on to demand the resignation of vice-chancellor Arun Kumar Grover.

The connotation is significant as there is BJP-led government at the Centre and the MHRD is headed by BJP leader Prakash Javadekar. Also significant are ABVP’s differences with SFS, considered to be a Left-leaning party.

Krishan Sheoran, campus president of the ABVP, said, “After a joint meeting with the V-C, SFS leaders raised slogans against us and tried to instigate students against us. Abusing us and taking our support cannot happen together.”

Amritpal Singh, SFS leader, said, “There are ideological differences with ABVP. In the context of university and fee hike, they are not at all criticising Modi government and MHRD because their own people are running the government. They are just seeking resignation of V-C. It is on the instructions of MHRD and UGC that the fee has been hiked in PU. If they are ready to condemn the central government, only then we would welcome them in joint action committee of student bodies.”

On last week’s protest, when all student bodies protested together, he said that no one called them to join.

On why was the ABVP silent against the MHRD, Sheoran said, “ABVP could sloganeer against MHRD, but it does not solve the problem. The V-C is passing the buck to the MHRD.”

“Our delegation will soon meet the MHRD to find a solution. If they do not offer any solution we will protest against them too,” claim Kushal Koundal, organising secretary of the ABVP.

“The V-C should clear his stand. If he is helpless, then at least he should lead us. Even otherwise, there are so many scams in the varsity,” Sheoran added.